Table with folding legs



0d. 1969 K. A. BLEVINS 3,474,743

TABLE WITH FOLDING LEGS Filed Dec. 28. 1967 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FlG 2INVENTOR. KENNETH A. BLEVINS BY e wifi ATTORNEYS United States Patent3,474,743 TABLE WITH FOLDING LEGS Kenneth A. Blevins, Missoula, Mont,assignor t0 Slrco Manufacturing, Inc., Missoula, Mont, a corporation ofWashington Filed Dec. 28, 1967, Ser. No. 694,299 Int. Cl. A47b 85/00,3/08 US. Cl. 10817 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The inventionpertains to a table having three folding legs, and aims to provide a legstructure of simple and inexpensive yet sturdy construction which can beeasily and quickly moved to either a set-up or a folded position, whichgives the stability of a four-legged mounting from its three legs, andwhich embodies a perfected catch for releasably locking the legs inoperating position.

These and other more particular objects and advantages of the inventionwill appear and be understood in the course of the following descriptionand claim, the invention consisting in the novel construction and in theadaptation and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The present application is a division of my co-pending application filedJuly 26, 1967, Ser. No. 656,145, now Patent No. 3,384,037, issued May21, 1968.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing a table supported by legs whichare constructed and mounted in accordance with preferred teachings ofthe present invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are a top plan view and an underside plan view,respectively, of said table, with the legs shown folded in the latterview.

FIGS. 4, and 6 are fragmentary transverse vertical sectional views drawnto an enlarged scale on lines 44, 55, and 66, respectively, of FIG. 3.

The folding leg structure of the present invention is shown applied to atwo-level sewing-machine table. The table proper is the subject matterof my above-identified co-pending patent application and it is thusunnecessary to here describe its details of construction. Suflice it tosay that the table is of the convertible type in which a foundationsection denoted generally by the numeral 10 provides the tables lowerlevel and has a fly section 11 pivoted thereto by a parallel-motionlinkage for bodily swing movement between a lower position which lies inco-planar flush relation to the foundation section and an upper positionspaced above and parallel therewith.

Three legs 15, 16 and 17 give support to the foundation section, witheach such leg attached by a pivot pin 18 to a respective one of threebrackets 20, 21 and 22 secured to the underside of the table section 10.Bracket 22 is located on the longitudinal median line of the tablespaced toward one end of the table from the transverse median linethereof and the related leg 17 folds toward the other end, swinging in avertical plane about a transverse horizontal axis. Brackets 20 and 21are spaced from said transverse median line toward the opposite end ofthe table and occupy a common transverse vertical plane, one spaced toone side and the other spaced to the other 3,474,743 Patented Oct. 28,1969 side of the tables longitudinal median line. The related legs 15and 16 fold in a direction opposite "to that of the leg 17, and namelytoward the end of'the table occupied by the bracket 22. The swingmovement is about transverse axes cocked from the horizontal so that thefree ends of such legs 15 and 16 progressively spread as the legs areopened. In their folded condition the legs 15 and 16 are generallyparallel one with the other and with the leg 17. Legs 15 and 16 are ormay be comprised of a single length of straight metal tubing. Leg 17 iscomprised of two lengths of tubing joined from the root end outwardlythrough somewhat more than half the length, from whence the free endsare bent outwardly and thence downwardly to give a wide 2-point footing.The span between these feet and between the feet of the opened legs 15and 16 is somewhat less than the transverse width of the table so thatall four feet will be spaced to the inside of perpendiculars droppedfrom the side edges of the table.

The brackets each provide a channel-like opening in which the root endof the related leg is received. Plugs 19 are fitted in such root ends toproduce a thickened wall which is traversed by the related pivot pin 18.The two ends of the pin are supported from a respective one of the twocheek plates which define the channel opening of the bracket. Mountingflanges extend outwardly from bottom edges of the cheek plates.

A bridge 32 connects the cheek plates of each bracket at the back end ofthe channel opening, being placed so that the same will operate as astop wall limiting the movement of the concerned leg, in its openingtravel, to an approximate swing, or which is to say 15 or so beyond atransverse vertical plane which includes the related pivot pin 33. Eachleg is traversed by a headed latch pin, slide-mounted on a diameter ofthe leg located normal to the pivot pin and spaced a short distanceoutwardly therefrom. This pin catches automatically behind the inneredge of the bridge 32 when the leg reaches said stopped position, beingmanually released by endwise pressure applied against the yieldingresistance of a spring 34.

What I claim is:

1. A table supported by three legs each pivotably attached to theunderside of the table by a respective mounting for swing movementbetween folded inoperative and extended operating positions, one of thelegs being mounted so that it occupies the longitudinal median line ofthe table swinging about a transverse horizontal axis removed toward oneend from the transverse median line of the table, the other two legsbeing mounted so as to lie at opposite sides of said longitudinal medianline swinging about axes which occupy a common transverse vertical planeremoved from said transverse median line toward the other end of thetable and each axis so cocked from the horizontal that the free ends ofthe legs progressively spread as the legs are extended, each of themountings for the other two legs providing a means which prescribes forthe related leg in the extension movement thereof a swing travel throughand moderately beyond a transverse vertical plane including the axisabout which each leg pivots, the mountings for each of said legsincluding spaced apart cheek plates defining a channel opening in whichthe root end of the related leg is received and having a bridge piecemade integral with the cheek plates and connecting the same at the backend of the mounting, said bridge piece bridging only an outer portion ofthe channel opening so as to have an exposed inner edge, each leg havinga spring-pressed locking pin mounted for endwise movement on a diameterof the leg located normal to its pivot axis and spaced outwardly amoderate distance therefrom, a projecting end of said pin being causedin the extension swing movemerit of the legito ride over the front faceof the bridge References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Hall 108129 Whitney108129 XR Smith 108-131 Sinclar 108125 XR Anderson 108--129 Greenburg eta1 108-432 Action 108124 Belvins 10813 Belvins 108-17 Lay 248-1886 BOBBYR. GAY, Primary Examiner GLENN O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.I

